Joe Reihsen
This summer, Arsenal Contemporary Art Montreal is pleased to welcome Joe Reihsen for a residency. The American artist will be in preparation (June 20 - 30, 2014) for the group exhibition NEXT, presented in 2014, at Arsenal Contemporary Art Montreal.
There is a marked freshness, luminosity and glow in Reihsen’s paintings. Confidently pushing the boundaries of the medium, his immersive canvases are tactile and reminiscent of topographical views infused with “acidic rainbows”. Building up his work using neon colors and pastels, made with natural and synthetic polymers, his abstract compositions appear to be lifted from the canvas and result in an optical illusion. By developing a process whereby he creates paintings floating on paintings, using lines, shapes, and smudges, his viewers may experience contracting emotions, as the work appears soft and dreamy yet emotionally charged.